School of Science Division of Life Science 27 Targeting Mitotic Regulators in Cancer Cells for Potential Treatment Supervisor: POON Randy Yat Choi / LIFS Student: LAI Haocheng / BCB Course: UROP 1100, Fall UROP 2100, Spring UROP 1000, Summer The arrangement and number of spindle apparatuses are crucial in determining whether a cell undergoes bipolar or multipolar division. These arrangements and numbers are regulated by various proteins. In binucleated cells, due to the abnormal number of centrosomes, the spatial arrangement of spindles becomes a decisive factor in determining the type of cell division. Therefore, knocking out or inhibiting specific genes in binucleated cells and observing the impact on the type of mitosis can help infer the role of these genes in the correct arrangement of spindles. These experiments aimed to assess the efficiency of KIF2A and KIF18B gene knockout using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and the efficiency of dihydrocytochalasin B-induced binucleated cell formation, followed by live-cell imaging to observe the mitotic patterns in binucleated cells. We found that the knockout of the KIF2A gene did not significantly affect the pattern of cell mitosis, but the knockout of the KIF18B gene resulted more bipolar divisions. Targeting Mitotic Regulators in Cancer Cells for Potential Treatment Supervisor: POON Randy Yat Choi / LIFS Student: NASEER Nayab Qureshi / BIBU Course: UROP 1000, Summer Muntjac deer cells show a striking karyotype difference from the non-traditional model organisms. Here we describe chromosome-scale genome assemblies for Indian muntjacs, Muntiacus muntjak vaginalis (2n = 6/7). We analysed the induced tetraploidy from their diploid progenitors by manipulating mitosis and cytokinesis using a sequential drug treatment with Nocodazole (NOC) and Dihydrocytochalasin B (DCB), respectively. The proposed methodology involves arresting Muntjac deer cells in mitosis and subsequently inhibiting cytokinesis. However, current obstacles include the cytotoxic effects observed when applying standard doses of NOC (0.1 µg/mL) and DCB (4 µM). By using optimal concentrations of these agents, we were able to generate tetraploid Muntjac deer cells through the sequential treatment strategy without eliciting cell death. Targeting Mitotic Regulators in Cancer Cells for Potential Treatment Supervisor: POON Randy Yat Choi / LIFS Student: TANG Chun Hei / BCB Course: UROP 1000, Summer The objective of this research project is to investigate whether knockout of APC11 and PTTG1 will affect the chromosome misalignment before mitosis, chromosome stability or segregation, and mitosis or premature DNA separation. I hypothesise that cancer cells may be trapped in metaphase due to the absence of the APC/C core subunit to degrade securing, and there may be unknown protein molecules that inhibit the separase to cleave cohesin and show DNA fragments next to chromosomes.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=